This invention relates generally to exercisers and more specifically to exercisers including separate moving assemblies enabling a user to perform various different exercises.
Recent years have seen an increasing awareness of the benefits of physical exercise and widespread use of exercisers. The therapeutic value of progressive resistance exercises has long been recognized. Exercising muscles against progressively increasing resistance not only results in added strength and endurance in the muscles, but also in a more efficient functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Nowadays, various types of exercisers have been suggested which use elastomeric members, such as resistance bands, to provide non-gravity resistance to the performance of the exercises.
One such exerciser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,167 issued to Piaget et al. The exerciser taught by Piaget et al. includes a first set of bungee cords for providing resistance to the movement of first and second hand grips and a second set of bungee cords for providing resistance to the movement of a leg actuated member. Each bungee cord of each set is removably secured between a fixed terminal and a movable terminal such that a selected number of first bungee cords provides resistance to the movement of the hand grips independently from the resistance a selected number of second bungee cords provided to movement of the leg actuated member. Varying the resistance by using bungee cords as taught by Piaget et al. involves adding or subtracting individual bungee cords to the exerciser, which can be both burdensome and time consuming. Further, since each bungee cord is a separate unit, the bungee cords can be lost or misplaced, or strewn about the environment of the exerciser in a manner to create substantial tripping hazards.
Another exerciser that uses bungee cords is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,566 issued to Whitcomb. The exerciser taught by Whitcomb includes a single set of bungee cords for selectively providing resistance to the movement of handle grips or to the movement of a leg actuated unit, each of which are connected to opposite ends of the bungee cords. Whitcomb provides an exercise machine having a single set of bungee cords, which may be moved into different exercise positions. The resistance of the bungee cords can be varied by selectively connecting a number of the bungee cords of the set to either the hand grips or the leg actuated member. The bungee cords are not removed from the exercise machine during normal usage as described in Piaget, thus eliminating the possibility to be lost or tripped over. Even though the exercise machine is relatively versatile, it includes numerous pivotally movable components, which can be relatively bulky and can require many steps to maneuver the exercise machine into various positions for effecting the different modes of exercise. These extra steps require extra time to move the exercise machine between different positions and can significantly lengthen the workout. Thus, the ability to effect different exercises quickly is greatly desirable and helps to reduce unnecessary time between exercises.
Consequently, there exists a need in the art to provide an exerciser which is cost-effective, convenient for transportation, versatile, and capable of providing variable resistance without removing components thereof.
An object of the present invention is to achieve the aforesaid improvement. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, this objective is achieved by providing an exerciser which features a frame assembly including a lower frame portion that is constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal surface. First and second rigid upright support members is fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion and extends upwardly from the lower frame portion when in the operative position thereof. A user support assembly is operatively connected with the lower frame portion. The user support assembly is constructed and arranged to support a user thereon.
The first and second rigid upright support members has first and second rigid upper free end portions respectively configured to curve upwardly from the lower portions thereof in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another. First and second moving assemblies is disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly. Each moving assembly is constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The first and second moving assemblies comprise first and second upper pulley members rotatably mounted on the upper free end portions of the first and second rigid upright support members. First and second lower pulley members are rotatably mounted on the frame assembly at fixed positions below the upper pulley members and first and second flexible elongated structures trained around the lower pulley members. The first and second flexible elongated structures extend upwardly over the first and second upper pulley members respectively and then downwardly toward the lower frame portion.
Movement preventing structures on the lower frame portion are operatively associated with terminal portions of the first and second flexible elongated structures and extend downwardly from the first and second upper pulley members. The movement preventing structures are constructed and arranged to prevent upward movements of the terminal portions. First and second user hand grip units is connected with first and second end portions of the first and second flexible elongated structures. The first and second user hand grip units extend outwardly from the lower pulley members in positions to enable a user supported on the user support assembly to move the user hand grip units away from inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions.
The first and second flexible elongated structures include first and second bungee cords constructed and arranged to resiliently resist movement of the user hand grip units and the end portions of the flexible elongated structures away from the inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions. The first and second bungee cords are further constructed and arranged to resiliently return the user hand grip units to the inoperative positions thereof when no longer moved by the user.
The present invention may be applied to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/738,317 filed concurrently herewith and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The incorporated disclosure provides an exerciser which comprises an upright frame assembly, first and second moving assemblies, a third moving assembly, first, second and third connecting terminals and a pair of resilient resistance structures. The upright frame assembly is constructed and arranged to be disposed in an operative position supported on a horizontal surface. The upright frame assembly has a user support assembly constructed and arranged to support a user thereon.
The first and second moving assemblies are disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly and are constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The third moving assembly is disposed in a normal inoperative position with respect to the user support assembly. The third moving assembly is constructed and arranged to be engaged and moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The first, second and third connecting terminals are connected to the first, second and third moving assemblies, respectively, so that the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals move away from one another when any one of the moving assemblies is moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof.
The pair of resilient resistance structures has operative extents and is constructed and arranged to be separately connected between the first and third connecting terminals and between the second and third connecting terminals. The pair of resilient resistance structures provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the relative movement of the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals away from one another and a resilient bias throughout the operative extent thereof to move the first and third connecting terminals and second and third connecting terminals toward one another.
The resilient resistance structures are related to the upright frame assembly such that the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals are restrained against biased movement toward one another beyond normal inoperative positions thereof corresponding generally with the normal inoperative positions of the moving assemblies. The resilient resistance structures permit the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals to move relatively away from one another so that (1) manual movement of the first moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the first connecting terminal to move away from the third connecting terminal enabling the resilient structure connected thereto to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the first moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof, (2) manual movement of the second moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the second connecting terminal to move away from the third connecting terminal enabling the resilient structure to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the second moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof, and (3) movement of the third moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the third connecting terminal to move away from the first and second connecting terminals enabling the pair of resilient structures connected thereto to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the third moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof.
A further object or aspect of the invention is to provide an exerciser comprising a frame assembly that includes a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal support surface and left and right rigid upright support members fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion.
A user support assembly is operatively connected with the frame assembly and constructed and arranged to support a user thereon. An exercising system is carried by the frame assembly and is constructed and arranged to enable a user supported on the user support assembly to perform arm exercises with either or both arms.
The left and right rigid upright support members have left and right upper free ends disposed above the lower frame portion in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another.
The exercising system includes (1) left and right pulleys mounted on the left and right free ends of the left and right rigid upright support members respectively (2) elongated structures, some of which are trained ever the left and right pulleys and (3) left and right hand grips constructed and arranged to be gripped by both hands of a user and to be moved individually or simultaneously through exercising strokes.
The elongated structures include left and right flexible non-extendable elongated structures that are connected to the left and right hand grips respectively for movement through operative strokes in response to the exercising strokes of the left and right hand grips by the user. The elongated structures further include resiliently extensible and retractable elongated structures constructed and arranged to (1) resiliently extend so as to provide yielding resistance to the operative strokes of the flexible non-extensible elongated elements and the exercising strokes of the hand grips by the user and (2) resiliently retract so as to provide return strokes for the flexible non-extensible elongated elements and the hand grips after the operative and exercising strokes thereof.
Yet another object or aspect of the invention is to provide an exerciser comprising a frame assembly that includes a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal support surface and left and right rigid upright support members fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion.
A user support assembly is operatively connected with the frame assembly and constructed and arranged to support a user thereon.
The left and right rigid upright support members have left and right upper free ends disposed above the lower frame portion in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another.
Left and right exercising assembles on the frame assembly are constructed and arranged to be manually moved through exercising strokes by both hands of a user supported on the user support assembly. The left and right exercising assembles include left and right operative structures carried by the left and right upper free ends of the left and right rigid upright support members, respectively.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.